Resolving VCF 9 Deployment Failures: Disk Eligibility and False-Positive HCL Warnings

Products

• VMware SDDC Manager / VCF Installer

Issue/Introduction

When attempting a greenfield VCF 9 deployment, the VCF Installer pre-validation checks fail with one or more of the following errors:

• vSAN ESA Disks Eligibility Validation Failed: The UI "Erase Partitions" tool fails with ServerFaultCode: Failed to update disk partitions.
• ESX Host vSAN HCL Compatibility Validation Failed: Hosts are marked as "Not HCL compatible" despite being verified ReadyNodes with updated firmware.
• Resource Requirements Warning: A "proactive validation" warning regarding CPU, Memory, or Storage requirements.
  
  

Environment

• Product: VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9.0.x / VCF Installer
• Hardware: Dell PowerEdge ReadyNodes (e.g., NVMe-based ESA configurations)
• Scenario: Greenfield deployment or redeployment after a previous test install.

Cause

1. Stale vSAN Partitions: Residual partitions from a previous vSAN 8.x/9.x ESA deployment prevent the installer from claiming disks. These partitions often cannot be removed via the UI because the vSAN modules are actively locking the devices.
2. Outdated HCL Database: The VCF Installer may ship with an HCL database older than 90 days, causing it to misidentify newer hardware or firmware as incompatible.
3. Resource Thresholds: The installer calculates management component requirements (NSX, vCenter) against physical capacity; stale vSphere Cluster Services (vCLS) reservations or aggressive thresholds can trigger warnings even if physical resources are sufficient.
   
   

Resolution

Task 1: Manually Wipe Stale vSAN Partitions

If the VCF Installer UI fails to erase partitions, you must disable the vSAN modules at boot to unlock the disks.

1. Reboot the ESXi host.
2. During the pre-boot splash screen, press SHIFT + O to modify boot options.
3. At the end of the boot line, add a space and append the following: jumpstart.disable=vsan,lsom,plog,virsto,cmmds
4. Press Enter to finish booting.
5. Identify the disk device ID using esxcfg-scsidevs -l.
6. Use partedUtil to delete the partitions on all affected NVMe disks (typically 2 partitions per disk for vSAN ESA). Refer to KB 323144 for specific command syntax.
7. Reboot the host normally.
8. Run the following command to ensure the host is not part of a stale cluster: esxcli vsan cluster leave

Task 2: Resolve False-Positive HCL Compatibility Errors

If hardware is verified compatible but the installer reports an error, update the local HCL database.

1. Download the latest all.json from the VMware Compatibility Guide.
2. Upload the file to the VCF Installer appliance at: /nfs/vmware/vcf/nfs-mount/vsan-hcl/
3. Refer to KB 315556 for detailed manual update steps.

Task 3: Handle Resource Requirement Warnings

1. If the warning is the only remaining issue and physical resources are confirmed sufficient for your static environment, you may proceed with the installation.
2. To suppress the warning in logs, you can optionally modify application-prod.properties on the installer appliance to skip resource validation (Consult Broadcom Support before applying).

Additional Information

Related Information
• KB 323144: Using partedUtil command line disk partitioning utility on ESXi
• KB 315556: Updating the vSAN HCL database manually
• KB 408233: Resolving “vSAN Disks Availability Validation Failed” During VCF 9.0 Installation

 VMware Compatibility Guide